1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cooling device for cooling one or more electrical components and/or electronic components (abbreviated below as E-components), with at least one cooling body, which is associated with the E-components and is connected to them in a thermoconductive manner.
2. Description of Related Art
Cooling devices of this kind are used as cooling bodies of Peltier elements. Their cooling side is brought into thermoconductive contact with the surface of the E-components. In order to be sure to achieve an effective heat dissipation, a surface contact that is as free as possible of air gaps is required. However, a wide variety of E-component surfaces and cooling body surfaces are currently in use so that an ideal transmission can only occur in specialized installations with adapted surface structures.
One object of this invention is to provide a cooling device of the type mentioned at the beginning in which an effective heat transmission between the E-components and cooling the body occurs at a low cost.
This object is achieved according to this invention by the cooling body being in thermoconductive contact with a granular, fluid, or paste-like thermoconductive filler material. The fluid or paste-like material is at least partially contained by a flexible membrane that is in surface contact with the E-components. The membrane nestles against the surface of the E-components to be cooled, producing an intimate surface contact. The filler material disposed behind the membrane follows the deformation of the membrane, thus producing the thermoconductive connection between the E-components and cooling body. The deformation of the membrane permits a heat exchange to effectively occur over a large surface area.
In one embodiment of this invention, the paste-like filler material is a gel, which has a high a heat storage capacity. In particular, the gel has a buffering capacity because of its heat storage capacity. The gel can be used to effectively cool E-components in which changing quantities of heat must be exchanged. In addition, the gel is a homogeneous mass, which easily compensates for deformations of the membrane and simultaneously assures a high rate of heat transmission.
According to this invention, the cooling devices can also be embodied as Peltier elements. In particular, the Peltier elements can be fastened to a mount or incorporated into it, for example encapsulated in it, and the mount can include a thermoconductive material. Thus the filler material can either contact the mount and the Peltier elements or, if the Peltier elements are completely encapsulated, can contact only the mount.
If the cooling device according to this invention operates inside a housing, for example inside a miniature electronics housing or in a switchgear cabinet, then a dissipation of heat from the cooling device must be provided. Thus it is possible to affix the mount to a housing and, with a heat exchanger side, contact the region encompassing the housing and/or contact a housing wall. The mount has a heat exchanger structure with cooling ribs near the heat exchanger side.
In order to allow the assembly of E-components and the membrane to be easily executed, in one embodiment of this invention the E-components are mounted on a printed circuit board, which is affixed in the housing by one or more supporting elements. At least one of the supporting elements is coupled to a guide by which the printed circuit board can be moved toward the fluid or paste-like material. Alternatively or in addition, it is possible that the fluid or paste-like material be held against a mount, and the mount can be moved toward each E-component by a guide.